Who's ready? What games do you think will be part of the tournament and also the mystery games of the day?

Funspot raised money to buy 5 new games this year. I'd bet a load of cash we see those 5 games in the tourney.

Black Widow
Space Dungeon
Discs of Tron
Solar Fox
Mad Planets

They also usually throw in a Williams game so expect to see Defender, Stargate or Robotron.

Plus a pair of racing games like Stocker or Pole Position 2.

And finally some off the wall stuff like Pooyan or Qix.

I don't think a Williams Manufacturer's Challenge would work. However, Atari would be interesting depending on the 5 games chosen.

My plan is to arrive first thing Thursday morning.

*pokes Mike*

Hmm... my local arcade has Discs of Tron AND Black Widow...
Guess I better get practicing! :D

My point is, those games may be new to ACAM, but they are still out there in the wild and some folks may not necessarily perceive them as new just because ACAM just got them in.

Some games you just know will not be in the tournament lineup... like Sinistar.

Rob Ross Wrote: Sinister was in the tourney 2 years ago...I believe. Solid game. I suck at it, but solid game. IMO we need games that those top tier players aren't very good at to even out the competition. Or games where scores get very bunched up. I'm thinking Death Race, Track & Field, Karate Champ, Juno First, Hyper Sports, Tutankham, Pooyan, Outrun, Pole Position 2...possibly even Gauntlet, Lunar Lander or Xevious. Maybe throw in an obscure laser disker for good measure.

Karate Champ was in a few years ago and there is a tactic in the game that can be exploited. Juno First is marathonable, Hyper Sports was in the Centuri challenge last year. Gauntlet is marathonable, I don't think Lunar Lander is on the floor and Xevious can be played for hours by top players.

I think ACAM does a great job selecting games for these tourneys, it is not an easy task. The top players are going to excel at nearly every game as they learn rather quickly if there isn't experience already with a title.

Lemme throw this out there...if the top players are going to excel at almost every game, maybe the tournament should have a "pro" level and an "amateur" level.

The 15 or so pros duke it out for $1000 for top spot. No second, third, etc payouts.

The rest play for the other prize money split between 1st 2nd and 3rd place.

The Manufacturers Challenge $500 can't be won by either the pro or amateur champ.

IMO that would spread the money out better.

To play devils advocate for a moment - If you glance at the last few years the same people are winning the money and that may lead to a reduction of players showing up in future years. Maybe there should be some mechanisms in place to handicap the field like in golf.

Rob Ross Wrote: Maybe there should be some mechanisms in place to handicap the field like in golf.

Only problem is unlike golf, top classic arcade players are not going to have a bad day or days, there is no degree of luck or good fortune that propels to victory in a 15 game tourney. There is only preparation and execution.

I agree sandbaggers could be weeded out. If they checked the records for all the Funspot tourneys you'll see who places at the upper end.

Top of my head I would list the pros as Cram, Nelson, Mcallister, Richard, Votava, Wagner, Mike SP, Geddes, Hayes, Laue, Faust, MacAuley, Reuhs, Falls, Mruczek and Bedard. That's 16 top gamers. The list could probably be stretched to 20.

To play super duper devil's advocate - why should I pay $500 on gas, food, lodging, entry fee and beer from Star in the tavern to enter a tournament I have no chance of placing in? Where the same hand full of guys kicks my butt year after year. Luckily, I'm a glutton for punishment...plus David and his crew run a top notch event and I really enjoy socializing with the good people there.

Rob Ross Wrote: I really enjoy socializing with the good people there.

Quite honestly that's the main reason I go. I see my friends that aren't local to me maybe once or 2x a year. I like to socialize above the gaming. I think last year was the first time I played in any of the events (though I always register anyways for support). I like to enjoy my vacation with beer and the space harrier cockpit :)